Plate-finishing machine.



s. G. eoss. PLATE FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1914.

1,16,984. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

l 22- I L :21\

Unrrn STATES PATEN 7 came.

SAMUEL G. GOSS, OF GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' PLATE-FINISHING MACHINE.

Original application filed June Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

1914. Serial No. 859,779.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. G088, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Glencoe, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PlateFinishing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to plate finishing machines of the type employing a rotatable drum for carrying a printing plate into operative engagement with means for shaving the ribs on the inner face and for severing the tail and trimming the ends of the plate. For the plate trimming and tail cutting operation rotary cutters are ordinarily used which are revolved at a high rate of speed and have the printing plate moved past them so as to trim the plates at the desired points. In order that the plate may stand up under the stress of the cutting operation without being twisted or otherwise distorted, the plate is held very firmly in contact with the inner face of the drum, the drum being made of such a length as to extend substantially to the point at each end at which the rotary cutter is located.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a construction such that the machine can be used for trimming and shaving printing plates of different lengths.

My invention is designed particularly for use with plates adapted to print pages either seven or eight columns wide with the columns running circumferentially of the cylinder, but the invention is not to be restricted to this particular construction except as hereinafter specifically claimed.

It is another object of my invention to improve devices of this type in sundry de tails hereinafter pointed out.

The means by which I have accomplished these objects are illustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specifically described.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a side view of the drum of a plate finishing machine equipped with my improvements; Fig. 2 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an edge View of the means for extending the drum for trimming an eight column plate; Fig. 4: is a side view of the part shown in Fig. 3; and ig. 5 is a cenadapted to trim the tral vertical section through one end of the drum, showing the drum-extending ring in position thereon.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, 10 indicates the framework of the machine having revolubly mounted thereon a drum 11 adapted to be rotated by any suitable means, not shown. A printing plate 12 is adapted to he slid into position in the drum upon suitable supports 13-44 mounted upon the inner face of the drum 11. Ex tending into the drum 11 from its front end is a bracket 15 suitably supported from the framework 10, said bracket being provided with guide-blocks 1617 adapted to guide the plate being inserted into the drum. The bracket 15 is also provided with a suitable shaving knife 18 at one side and a mangler 19 at the opposite side. A shield 20 is provided, in connection with the means shown for locking the printing plate into contact with the face of the drum, for preventing the accumulation of chips and shavings in contact with said locking means.

No claim is made herein to the mangler 19 or to the shield 20, inasmuch as these devices are the invention of Joseph J. \Valand are covered by his application for ser,

filed June 3, 1914, Serial patent thereon, No. 842,579.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the inner face of the rear edge of the drum 11 is rabbeted out to receive a correspondingly-shaped ring 21 extending from the front face of a drum-extending member 22, said member 22 being adapted to be secured in position upon the rear end of the drum by means of screws 23 inserted in suitable registering openings 1n the member 22 and the drum 11.

Revolubly mounted in the framework 10 at one side of the drum 11 is a shaft 24 having fixed upon its front end a rotary cutter 25 provided with cutting blades 26 front end of a printing plate as it is carried by the drum 11 past such rotary cutter 25, the shaft 24 being driven from any suitable source of power through the medium of a sprocket gear 27 fixed upon the front end of said shaft. Mounted upon the rear end of the shaft 24 is a similar rotary cutter, comprising a hub 28 having fixed thereon a disk 29 in which are removably mounted a plurality of cut: hers 30.

With the drum-extending member 22 in position upon the drum 11, as shown in F igs. 1 and 2, the hub 28 of the rearmost rotary cutter is placed upon the end of the shaft 24 and secured in position thereon in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. Upon the rotation of the drum 11, while at the same time the rotary cutters, are being rotated, the printing plate is brought into the path of the rotary cutters for the trimming and tail-cutting operations, the printing plate being cut of a length longitudinally of thedrum such as to accommodate eight columns. For the tail-cutting opera tion, the drum-extending member 22 serves to support the rear end of the plate firmly in position adjacent to the rearmost rotary cutter so that it is impossible to twist or distort theprinting plate. When it isdesired to cut a printing plate of a length'to accommodate seven columns, all that it is necessary to do preparatory to such cutting operation is to remove the member 22' from the drum by the withdrawal of the screws 23-, and to turn the hub 28 of the rearmost rotary cutter end for end on the shaft 24;, also removing the blades 30 and turning them halfway around so as to out a beveled end at the rear of the plate instead of a square end.

While I have described my invention as designed for cutting a plate of a length to accommodate either seven or eight columns, it will be understood that the parts can be so proportioned as toaccommodate other sized plates" or otherjvariations in the width of the plateas may be desired.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

v 1. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a drum, an extension adapted to be removably attached thereto at one end, and a cutter adapted to be positioned in either of two operative positions opposite the end of the drum proper or opposite the outer end of the extension.

2. a plate, finishing machine, the combination of' a drum, an extension adapted to be removably' attached thereto at oneend,

a shaft revolubly mounted alongside ofsai'd drum, and a cutter adapted" to be fixed on said shaft in either of two operative positions opposite the end of the drum proper or opposite the outer end" of the extension;

In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a drum, an extension adapted to be removably attached thereto at one end, a shaft revolubly mounted alongside of said drum, and a cutter having a hub extending from one face thereof adapted to be fixed on said shaft with either face opposite the drum whereby the cutting blades are brought into efiiective operation either opposite the end of the drum proper or opposite the outer end of the extension.

4. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a drum, an extension adapted to be 'removably attached thereto at one end, a shaft revolubly mounted alongside of said drum, and a cutter comprising a plate, a

hub extending from one face thereof, and a cutting blade removably mounted on said plate, said'cutter being adapted tobe fixed on said shaft with either face opposite the drum whereby the cutting blade is brought into effective operation either opposite the end of the drum proper or opposite the outer end of the extension.

5. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a drum, an extension adapted to be removably attached thereto at oneend, a shaft revolubly mounted alongside of said drum, and a cutter comprising a hub and a plurality of cutting blades positioned opposite one end of said hub, said cutter being adapted to be fixed on said shaft with either face opposite the drum'wher'eby the cutting blades are broughtinto effective operation I either opposite the end of the drum proper or opposite the outer end of the extension, said cutting blades being removably mounted relative to said hub whereby they are adapted to be tur'ned'relative thereto to keep the same sidesof the blades toward the drum when the hub is turned end for end:

In a plate finishing machin the combination of a pair of revoluble cutters spaced" a certain predetermined desired distance apart; a drum located between said cutters extending substantially from one to the other whereby it is adapted to hold a plate firmly position to be operated upon by said cutters, and a ring ada ted: to he removably attached to the drum proper at oneend to'ex'tend the effective length of the drum to correspond to an increased distan-0e at which said cutters are adapted to operate from each othen SAMUEL G. GOSS.

Witnesses:

Gno. A EDDY, G. O; ABBOTT.

. (idpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washing-ton, D. 0. 

